Study warns sitting infants face risk

May 14, 2008 9:13:32 AM PDT

A warning for parents who have infants: a new study from Montreal suggests that leaving newborns in a sitting position for long periods of time may place them at increased risk for sudden infant death.

Researchers from McGill University Health Center report that deaths among infants in a sitting position accounted for about 3 percent of the infant deaths which they reviewed. They believe the deaths can be attributed to airway problems.

The doctors who conducted the study recommend that infants less than one month old be placed in a sitting position for no more than one hour at a time.

This study is in this month's edition of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.